TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Jakarta Legislative Council (DPRD DKI Jakarta) deputy speaker Zita Anjani said experts invited to the council’s special committee meeting today deemed the Jakarta administration was lacking the determination to tackle floods in the capital.

“The point of the recommendations of the three experts were essentially the same, that Jakarta lacked the willingness and political will—both in programs and budgets—in dealing with this flooding issue,” Zita told reporters after presiding over a meeting at the DPRD DKI Jakarta Building in Kebon Sirih, on Monday, October 19, 2020.

The council invited to the meeting three experts, viz. hydrologist Firdaus Ali and spatial planners Supriatna and Nirwono Joga, to provide accounts on the necessary steps to mitigate flooding in Jakarta. The meeting was also attended by Water Resources Agency head Juaini.

In the meeting, Firdaus Ali slammed Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan as he argued that the Jakarta administration had tremendous budgets and fiscal capacity yet failed to take significant measures to mitigate flooding, such as procuring land plots to normalize rivers.

“Why do I blame DKI? Because its fiscal capacity is beyond those of the Public Works and Housing (PUPR) Ministry and the Water Resources Directorate General. But if DKI was idle and failed to procure land plots totalling 40,67 hectares, I do not have the answer to that. Ask the governor,” said the special staffer of the PUPR Minister.

Zita Anjani also blasted the Jakarta government’s plans and approaches, which she said were bereft of clear success indicators. She also urged the Jakarta government to resort to outcome-based policy so as to bring about tangible results.

“Outcome-based policy must be employed, so that the policy will yield impact and outcome. What we have right now are budgets, spending and spending, but there is no outcome or impact,” she said.

Read: Three Years of Anies Baswedan, Nasdem Highlights Zero DP Housing, Floods

Non-correspondent/TEMPO